Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Mayapur Kirtan Mela 2013 was a memorable spiritual event in the lives of many. This year’s attendance at the kirtans was much better than the year before, and more chanters than expected took part in the worldwide "internet kirtan" - in front of their computers at home. Several devotees remarked that when they were having that beautiful kirtan in the Adbhuta Mandir (newly constructed temple) they felt like they were walking into a prophecy which foretold that from Mayapur, being the capital of kirtan, Krishna consciousness would spread all over the globe by the power of the Holy Name.

In the scriptures we find some instructions for constant chanting. For example, Shukadeva Goswami encouraged Maharaja Pariksit to continuously chant:

Constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all... (Shrimad Bhagavatam 2.1.11)

In this important verse, Shukadeva Goswami emphasizes anukirtana, constant chanting - that means – do not stop chanting!

When Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu moved to Puri, his parting words to the devotees in Navadvipa where similar:

Whether you are sleeping, eating or walking, day and night think of Krishna and chant His names

(Chaitanya-Bhagavata Madhya 28.28).

And Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada clarifies:

"For one who has heard the kirtan inaugurated by Gaura, there is no instruction to give up chanting the names of Krishna 24 hours every day - even while eating, sleeping or walking."

How can we apply this instruction?

While it may not be possible for everyone to chant non-stop, it is certainly possible to follow another instruction of Mahaprabhu which was to engage in frequent kirtans at home. The Lord instructed:

Five to ten people can sit together in a house and perform kirtan while clapping their hands.

(Chaitanya Bhagavata Madhya 23.79).

The devotees who received this sacred order from the Lord became very happy. They gathered in the evenings at their homes and performed kirtan together by taking up mridunga drums, karatalas and conchshells. Thus they engaged their bodies and minds daily in chanting the Names of Krishna and meditating upon the Lord. Ecstasy soon spread everywhere.

One does not need to be an accomplished singer or instrumentalist to perform kirtan. Just one’s voice and one's two hands for rhythm are sufficient. Our humble suggestion is that until the next Kirtan Mela or a bigger kirtan event takes place, you can be connected with the Yuga Dharma by inviting friends and have your own Kirtan Mela in your own home.

Now, here is an e-mail which melted our hearts when we received it:

Our little son Rasanath’s (8 yars old) life changed when he got the chance to sing the maha mantra at the insistence of HH Indradyumna Swami. He was overjoyed when he could see how he could help himself and others connect with the Lord through the Holy Name.

He was even more thrilled when the Kirtan Mela at Mayapur followed in the next few days. He was ready to miss school and would just sit before the internet broadcast and listen to the kirtans which you so kindly organized. He has not stopped singing kirtan since then.

I wish that all of us could discover the blissful life which the Holy Name has in store for us by
keeping its chanting with us - always.

The Next Kirtan Mela in Mayapur

The dates for the next kirtan Mela in Mayapur have already been fixed. Adhivas on February 27th 2014, Kirtan Mela, February 28th -4th 2014. Kindly take note of them in your calender and make sure that you can participate directly - either live or on-line through Mayapur TV.

In addition, it is now possible to obtain the recordings of all the kirtans which were compiled and brought to a high audio standard by our sound-wizard Ekendra Prabhu. You can order them on our DOWNLOAD page.

Let us end by thanking you all profusely for giving us the undeserved opportunity to serve you all.

Wishing you all the best and asking you all to please keep on chanting!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Only a little time is left till the Mayapur
Kirtan Mela 2013, and therefore, we wish to make a few important last minute
announcements to the world wide community of devotees about this event which
could become a historic event.

A World-wide
Event

The Kirtan Mela's prime purpose is to give
devotees an opportunity to absorb their minds and hearts in the continuous
chanting of the Holy Names in a momentous vaishnava assembly. Before the
beautiful altar of Pancha-tattva we will chant for the pleasure of Sri
Chaitanya and His associates and experience a stream of blessings empowering
our spiritual life with fresh energy.

But there is also another wonderful dimension:
When so many devotees chant then their sankirtana spreads a "tsunami"
wave of blessings all around this planet. By the help of the Mayapur TV this
event will be streamed all around the world thus enabling devotees from everywhere
and anywhere to join us before their screens.

The Chaitanya Bhagavata describes such a
historic maha kirtan in Navadvipa when Mahaprabhu visited from Puri. There were
thousands of kirtan groups and millions of people chanted the names of Hari and
floated in an ocean of happiness! The sound vibration was so strong that it
reached the inhabitants of this planet and extended to planets like Brahma and
Shivaloka as well, freed them from all distress and intoxicated even the best
of yogis and sages!

Vrindava das Thakura relates: "When the Lord and His devotees thus saw
everyone engaged in congregational chanting, they floated in an ocean of
ecstasy and the tears of ecstatic love from the eyes of Sri Gauranga resembled
the Ganges flowing in the four direction." (CB Antya 3.424-425).

For this year, Mayapur TV has totally upgraded
their equipment and increased the numbers in their film-team. In this way, the
quality of the transmission will be so good that all viewers will have the
feeling that they are "there." So if internet still exists at that
time - please inform your friends and even different contacts to join us in big
numbers. Last year there was a good size group of people chanting everywhere,
even in a tent in the desert of Arabia!

Kirtan Mela and the Temple of Understanding

In 2016, let's have 10,000 devotee kirtan in the temple hall

Those who have followed the
ISKCON News have marvelled at the super fast growth of the Temple of
Understanding. Mainly by the power of the respected Ambarish Prabhu's donation,
the prayers of the devotees and the blessings of Lord Nityananda, work on the
temple goes on day and night. The goal is to have the inauguration ceremony at
the 50th anniversary of our movement in 2016. But now the laxmi supply has come
to a halt! Ambarish Prabhu finances are completely exhausted. Fortunately there
is another important program in place, called the "square foot
program". Radha-jivan prabhu who is heading up this program told me:
"The Temple will be finished not by a few rich men but by the poor. Every
devotee, friend and sympathizer can build with a donation of 150 dollars a
square foot in the Adbhuta mandir (wonderful temple)."

This means that we will have to
inspire many many devotees and people all over the world to enthusiastically
take up this opportunity.

The Kirtan Mela is dedicated to
help in this important project by helping to reach out to many people on this
planet with the yuga dharma of chanting the Holy Name. There will be
announcements of the program for building the temple of Understanding during
this kirtan mela and information booths, so that the devotees can inform
themselves.

This temple is so grand that it
has to be built by the power of the Holy name which can inspire enough persons
to engage in empowered devotional service. By building, as Bhaktivinoda Thakur
prophesized "the Universal Church of the Holy Name" (sajjana
toshani), this temple will be certainly erected through the enthusiasm of the
devotees. Would it not be nice by the time of the inauguration ceremony there will
be 10.000 devotees and kirtan lovers (that's how many fit in the darshan hall)
chanting the Holy Name?

What Kind of
Kirtan?

In the Bhagavatam, Sri Shukadeva
Goswami instructs Maharaja Parikshit right at the beginning about the main
subject of the Bhagavatam:

"Ohking, constant chanting of
the Holy Name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities (harer nämänukértanam) is the doubtless and fearless way of success
for all..." (SB 2.1.11)

Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
clarifies in his purport: In chanting, however, there is chanting of the Lord's
name (nama kirtan), his qualities (guna kirtan) and his pastimes (lila kirtan).
Amongst these, anukirtan, that means chanting the name according to (anu) one's
bhakti is best."

Later towards the end of the Bhagavatam,
Shukadeva specifies which Holy Name should be sung in order to avert the evils
of Kali and bestow love of God:

kértanäd
eva kåñëasya

mukta-saìgaù
paraà vrajet

Simply by chanting the
Holy Name of Krishna one can become
free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. (SB
12.3.51)

Thus, like in the past years, we
will again focus on chanting the Hare Krishna Maha mantra.

However, there will be something
new.

Several senior devotees have
requested that we sometimes relish the songs and prayers of the previous
acharyas before some of the kirtans start, so that it will be easier to chant
with devotional feelings of connectedness. These songs also count as kirtan and
in this way the nama yajna is not interrupted but enhanced.

Please
Participate

In conclusion we cordially
invite all of you to participate in whatever way is possible in this wonderful
Kirtan Mela which promises to become a historic event and a very important
station on our way to complete the Temple of Understanding.

Wishing you all the best and
lots of spiritual strength and keep on chanting

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Kirtan Mela Team would like to express their sincere gratitude to all kirtaniyas, leading and participants , for making Kirtan Mela Mayapur 2012 a most successful event.
Devotees are referring to it as historical and life altering. All of you who participated both online and in person made this mela.
Thank you.
Please see FEED-BACKS page for some of the comments we received through internet.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The three words sri-krishna-sankirtanam should be understood as follows. Shri refers to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune. In this context, however, it indicates the supreme Goddess of Fortune, the one who is the source of all other such goddesses, namely Srimati Radharani, or Gandharvika. As such, when we say sri-krishna, we are talking about the Divine Couple, Gandharvika united with Her beloved Giridhari, the son of King Nanda.
The word sankirtana is defined by Jiva Goswami as bahubhir militva kirtanam tad eva sankirtanam – “Sankirtan means the glorification of the Lord by many people together” (Bhakti-sandarbha 269). Another definition understands sam to mean samyak or “complete.” Thus sankirtan would mean the complete glorification of Shri Krishna, His name, form, attributes, associates, and pastimes. - Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada

Is chanting Krishna’s Names the Only Spiritual Practice?

Most certainly. The living entity has no other duty than worshiping the Lord. No one seems able to understand this. It does not matter whether you are young or old, illiterate or scholarly, man or woman, rich or poor, foolish or brilliant, saint or sinner; there is no other means for attaining perfection, no spiritual practice other than chanting Krishna’s holy name. - Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada

______________________________

We are certainly in difficult position, but the only remedy is that we must chant the holy name of the Lord repeatedly. And that will solve all the problems. SB 1.8.18 (lecture by HDG ACBSP)

Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee, I become easily purchased. (NOD)

Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krsna. (CC Antya-lila 20.11)

If the surface of the globe is over-flooded with the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, the people of the world will be very, very happy.(SB 4.24.11)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

On the night
before Kirtan Mela we will have an adivas. Adivas is a
traditional ceremony that precedes any auspicious event. It is a
Gaudhiya tradition to perform an adivas before anakhanda kirtan. At that time the
instruments that will be used for the glorification of the Lord and His names
are honored and worshiped with flowers and chandan, chanting pranam
mantras appealing to the sampradaya for their blessings, etc.

While this Adivas ceremony will
be performed on our behalf by HG Naru Gopal prabhu – a celebrated kirtaniya and
gurukula graduate – preparing our heart
is up to us.

The following is
based on notes from a lecture given by HH Sacinandana swami., at the onset
of a 12 hour akhanda kirtan in Varshana, shortly after kartika. He is
inducing the devotees to reach into their heart to fully become committed to a
higher level of chanting.I
believe it fully applies to the preparation we should undergo to
receive full benefit from the Kirtan mela.

Akhanda kirtan is
a wonderful practice wherein one can really experience the holy name. You
have to perform the kirtan in such a way that Krishna will appear.

According to Jiva
Goswami, kirtan amongst all other processes of sadhana reigns supreme
because it attracts the attention of the Lord in a special way. In hearing our
sincere chanting, Krishna thinks: "This devotee belongs to me, he is
calling for me, I should protect those who belong to me." The
effectiveness of the spiritual process becomes Krishna's concern. Our spiritual
life becomes His concern.

Another reason why
he says that it is a super most practice is because it conquers the mind like
no other.

He quotes a verse
spoken by a brahmana who had advised his disciple in spiritual discipline: rise
early, read... a 12 hour program. The disciple said that he could not
concentrate doing this process, that his mind was too restless. So then the
brahmana advised: “if you cannot concentrate, then chant shamelessly day
and night, without reservation. In this way you will get loving attraction for
Krishna.” It is the most effective way, according to Jiva Goswami’s Bhakti
Sandarbha. Sitting together with many, sam-kirtan, is even more beneficial because
extra ordinary devotional feelings are thus created.

How long can we go
on in our spiritual life out of duty without feeling, out of institutional
companionship? How long can we go on without feelings for Krishna This is a feeling
religion, Krishna Bhavananmrta, you feel the bhava, the nectarean Krishna
Concious feelings. It manifests when you perform samkirtan as long as onr can
follow the method prescribed by Caitanya mahaprabhu.

trinad api sunicena

taror api
sahishnuna

amanina manadena

kirtaniyah sada
harihi

One should
chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself
lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree,
devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect
to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord
constantly.

We require a deep
sense of humility.

The following are four humility triggers.

1.Feeling misery, such as disease is good to
crack the ego. When one feels miserable and needs help, he realizes he cannot
do it on his own. One can more easily realize the greatness of his
insignificance as he is being trashed around in the material world.

2.The awareness of having committed an
offense: “I blew it.”

3.A shock, sudden change such as fame
becoming infamy.

4.Shame in
regards to wrong doings

Humility brings
about responses such as wanting to appeal to Krishna: “Krishna, save me”.

Sanatan goswami gives
two examples.

One is the Cataki bird who doesn't drink from
ponds or lakes but waits for the moonsoon cloud, imagine his eagerness when the
cloud finally arrives. He is truly wretched, he screams at the cloud: “jal de, give me water”, this is how we should
do kirtan, calling out: “Please Krishna, I am tired of this Krishna-less life,
please, I want to give you love but I cannot give you love because I am so diverted.
Please invest in my small capital of bhakti, increase my capital of bhakti so
that I can purchase you with the coins of eagerness.”

The second example
is the cakravarti bird couple who somehow cannot find each other. They feel like they cannot go on without it.

In this mood of good kirtan one feels like
he yet has to meet his beloved. Love is all consuming, causing the heart to
burn, lovers must meet.

These 2 moods give
me the medicine of love and the eagerness of the parched Cataki bird.

In such a way, we must prepare our heart
to resonate the holy name in association, samkirtan.

Since this years Mayapur Kirtan Mela is part of the Mayapur festival, Mayapur festival sponsors will assume the cost of prasadam, so free prasadam, all you have to do is register once you get to Mayapur.

Would you like to also stay for free? Bring your tent, we have set aside an area for campers with access to safety lockers for essentials, bathing facilities and 24 hour security. Three minutes walk from the temple.

If you fell you need a little more structure in your accommodation there are dormitory facilities available also with access to lockers for safe keeping of passport etc. at a nominal cost. See reservation page for details.

We also have secured the use of Gaudhiya Math Guest houses for the mela itself but they will not be available after February 26th. All are encouraged to stay for parikrama and keep their luggage in a safe storage facility provided on site.

See reservation page for details.

If you would like to donate to help cover unavoidable costs, please visit our DONATE page.
We need to raise $4000. before the event, any help is highly appreciated.